


One of Us is Lying

by orphan_account



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Arrest, Drinking, Happy Ending, M/M, Murder, Murder Suspects, One of us is lying, Seventeen-AU, Smoking, implied stuff, some violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:28:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24696040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: A One of Us is Lying Seventeen AU. A list of which member is which character will be in the first chapter. SOme members will be more in the spotlight than others, and some are barely there...sorry. I tried to include all relationships I could, but a lot of them will be taking a backseat. If you haven't read the book, it's fine as well.
Relationships: Boo Seungkwan/Chwe Hansol | Vernon, Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Yoon Jeonghan, Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Lee Seokmin | DK, Jeon Wonwoo/Kim Mingyu, Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi/Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Wen Jun Hui | Jun/Xu Ming Hao | The8
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Jun--Bronwyn  
> Minghao--Nate  
> Jeonghan--Addy  
> Joshua--Cooper  
> DK-- Kris  
> S.Coups--TJ  
> Hoshi--Ashton  
> Jihoon--Eli  
> Chan--Maeve  
> Wonwoo--Evan  
> Mingyu--Luis  
> I can't find characters to properly correspond to Seungkwan and Vernon...

Junhui

Two cheating scandals. A smoking scandal. A pregnancy scare. And that’s just this week’s update. Honestly, with everything going on according to Simon’s app, you would wonder how people have time to go to class.

“Old news, Junhui,” says a voice over my shoulder. “Just wait for tomorrow’s post.”  
Shit. I hate getting caught reading About That-- especially by its creator. I shove my phone back in his pocket with a scowl and start off down the hall.

“Whose lives will you ruin next?” I scoff.  
Simon falls in step next to me easily. He shrugs and says dismissively, “It’s a public service. If these douchebags do something bad, shouldn’t everyone be educated?”  
I don't bother answering. Any protest of mine would just bounce right off his impenetrable thick skull. Simon is so caught up in being a “hero”, that he can’t see that he’s becoming one of those “douchebags” as well.?” 

“Where are you going, anyway? Going for more extracurricular glory?”

I wish. I happened to know for a fact that Wonwoo, the cute Mathlete, would be at practice today. He somehow managed to show up every time I couldn’t.

“Not exactly,” I reply. As a general rule of life, I try not to tell Simon too much. Or anything, really. I’ve seen the horrors of About That. I don’t exactly want to experience it.

“Then, what? Where else could our resident Yale hopeful be heading?”

I remain silent, but I turn right and twist the cold metal of the doorknob, yank it open, and enter the room .

I can hear Simon’s disbelieving snort already, even as he follows after. “ You? Really? That’s rich. Our Little Mr Perfect has detention! Will pigs fly next? Nobody knows?”  
“I’m wrongfully accused, “ I mutter underneath my breath.

“No need for unnecessary commentary, Mr. Allen,” The perpetually-in-a-tweed-coat science teacher, Mr Avery frowns, furrowing his brow at Simon. Teachers are aware of About That, but they can’t do anything to stop it. Simon only uses initials and never mentions the school, but his snide little hints are more than enough to identify the poor person. 

I scan the unfortunate crowd for today. Huh. Not exactly expected. Except for one.  
Xu Minghao tips his chair back and smirks. “Lost your way? This isn’t student council.”

Mr Avery gives another grunt of disapproval as he checks something off on a clipboard.

I take a seat as Joshua Hong tosses a crumpled sheet of paper back and forth like a baseball. Yoon Jeonghan blinks and smiles uncertainly at me. Those are the unexpected.  
Oh well. Mr Avery doles out detention like candy, and he doesn’t listen to any explanations or “excuses”, as he calls them. It's probably the reason I’m stuck here instead of flirting awkwardly with Wonwoo. There’s still a small chance I can get out of this, though. 

I raise my hand until I notice Minghao’s smirk broadening. Gritting my teeth, I brandish my cat decorated phone case and say, “Mr Avery, that wasn’t my phone you confiscated. This is mine,” 

You would have to be lacking some brain cells to bring your phone to Mr Avery’s class. His ears are ultra sensitive and fine tuned to hear the buzzing of phones. Before class, he rummages through our bags like one of those dogs at the airport sniffing out drugs.

“You too?” Jeonghan turns around, making his blonde shampoo-ad hair swish around his face. I blink a little. It’s a little surreal seeing him without his boyfriend. They must have been physically torn apart for him to show up alone. “That wasn’t mine either.”

“Me three, “ Joshua chimes in. “I have to miss baseball practice.” He says it as though he’s a terminally ill patient being kept from a life saving operation. They both exchange surprised looks. Maybe people in their uber popular clique would rather talk about the next party than unfair detentions.

“Someone set us up!” Simon yells, looking like a rabid dog hungry for some fresh gossip. “Maybe someone who wanted some company so he wouldn’t be alone all the time.” 

His sharp gaze turns to Minghao, who is well known for being a permanent fixture at detention. While he does have an impressive track record, I don’t think he planted those phones. The time and energy needed to plant four phones in four different backpacks sounds like a whole lot of work, and everything about Minghao, from his messy, in his eyes black hair, to the scuffed up leather boots, screams couldn’t care less.

He meets my gaze and tilts his chair a few degrees lower. If he went down any further, the chair would have toppled.

“Wait, what?” Joshua’s perfect lips twist into a frown. “I thought this was a mix-up, but if it isn’t, this is just someone’s sick idea of a prank.” 

“Save the conspiracy theories for a more gullible teacher. I’m not buying it.” Mr Avery rolls his eyes. “You’re all staying here for as long as it takes to write a five hundred word essay about how technology is spoiling the American schooling system.”

While most classrooms have comforting silver computers, Mr Avery abstains from most forms of technology. Which, of course, explains the pad of paper on each of our tables.

“But, Mr Avery, if we don’t use computers, how do we know when we reach five hundred words? ” Jeonghan asks, his pretty face a mask of confusion. 

He pauses on his way out. “Count. You’ll get your phone from my desk after detention.” 

The door clicks shut with a soft click.

There’s a wearily amused expression on everyone’s face, probably because all of our phones are safely tucked into our backpacks. 

No matter. I pull out a pen to finish the essay. I contemplate the assignment. Does Mr Avery truly believe technology is spoiling education? Perhaps he wants us to write this from a neutral standpoint. Maybe we have to oppose his statement instead.

I glance over at Minghao’s paper. He’s started an elaborate pencil drawing of a bloated Mr Avery burning computers. 

It’s possible I’m overthinking this.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realised how long this is probably going to be...

Joshua

My hand is starting to hurt. I know it's pathetic, but my father made me use my non dominant hand for anything he deemed unimportant. Your left hand’s gold. Don’t waste it on stupid things. Which is anything except baseball, as far as he’s concerned. 

It's not that I hate baseball. I would just prefer to go back to the time when my father left me alone with my guitar. Before he decided he needed me to “man up” and dragged me to baseball practice. Before he discovered my fastball was measured up to professional standards. I haven’t played guitar in so long. 

Simon’s rooting around in his bag for something. “Where the hell’s my water bottle?”

“No talking, Mr Allen. If you're thirsty, there’s a perfectly serviceable dispenser at the back. Get some water. Quietly.” Mr Avery looks up from where he’s grading papers and points to the bag.

Simon stands up and goes to the back of the classroom to grab a paper cup from the stack and fills it up. On the way, he seems distracted. He looks down at Minghao’s drawing with a snort. Kicking his sneaker at one of the legs of his chairs, he asks, “ Hey, dude. You sure you didn’t put those phones in our bags to mess with us?” Minghao continues sketching the wispy hair on Mr Avery’s head, pointedly ignoring him. 

“Quiet, Mr. Allen, “ Mr Avery says through his teeth.

“Geez, okay,” Simon grumbles as he returns to his seat.

Just as he’s about to sit, there’s a squeal of tires from outside, and the loud crash!

“Holy shit! “ I say, eyes widening. Jeonghan gasps, and even Junhui and Minghao look up from their respective papers.  
I run to the window quickly, as does everybody. Curiosity gets the better of Junhui, who has, to his credit, put up a valiant effort to focus, and he comes to the window to look. Even Mr Avery gets up to look. In the driveway at the entrance of the school two cars, one red and one black, are smashed into each other. Billows of smoke puff up, and Simon laughs disparagingly at the sight. 

“I had better go to check if anyone’s hurt.” Mr Avery sighs as he stalks out of the classroom.

Our eyes are fixed outside, but before Mr Avery or any other teacher reaches, the cars back away from each other and pull away. There is a nasty scratch on the side of one but that’s the extent of the damage.

“Well, that was anticlimactic,” Simon notes dryly. He heads back to his desk and picks up his cup, but instead of sitting he wanders to the front of the classroom. 

“You wanna know something funny?” he asks, fingers circling the rim of the cup. “He’s the homecoming prince and you’re the jock,” he jabs a finger at Jeonghan and nods at me. “ And you’re the nerd. And you’re the bad boy. “ He thrusts his chin out at Junhui then at Minghao. “You’re all walking teen movie stereotypes. The four key pillars of the high school.”

“How about you? “ Junhui asks, crossing over to the windowsill. Something about him seems different this year. Maybe the fact that he finally shed those braces and got contact lenses. All of a sudden, he seems to stand out instead of just being another nameless face in the sea of people.

“I’m the omniscient narrator,” Simon says.

His brows rise skeptically. “Teen movies don’t have that.” 

“Ah, but you see, there is something like that in life.” He winks as he downs a gulp of water. The way he phrases it seems like a threat, and I hope for Junhui sake he hasn’t gotten some sort of leverage on him. Almost all of my friends have been on it for something, and sometimes it drives a ridge between us.

To be honest, I’m just pretty freaked at what Simon could write about me if he put his mind to it. 

“Ugh, this tastes like crap,” Simon says, “ Does Mr Avery poison his water along with the brains of innocent children?” He drops the cup, grimacing. Even when he falls to the floor, I still think it’s his dramatics at play. Until the wheezing starts.

Junhui’s on his feet first, shaking Simon’s shoulders frantically. “Simon, Simon, wake up! What’s wrong?” His voice goes from concerned to downright panicky, and that’s what finally snaps me out of my daze. 

I try to move forward, but Minghao is faster. He dashes forward and crouches beside him. “A pen? Do you have a pen?” Simon’s face is a bright brick red, but he nods repeatedly. 

Junhui’s face is blotchy red, and his voice trembles slightly. “I’m going to call 9-1-1 and get a teacher.” Grabbing his phone, he dashes out into the hallway. 

His Epipen. I grab his bag and start digging through it frantically. Minghao searches his pockets, turning them inside out. Jeonghan stands to the side, rubbing his arm, looking like he wants to say something, but remaining mum.

“Shit!” Minghao yells as both of us turn up empty-handed. “Where’s your shitting pen, Simon!”

Simon’s eyes roll back in his head. Sirens blare, audible even from the distance as Mr Avery and a few other teachers barge in, Junhui closely behind. 

“Can’t find his pen, “ Minghao says tersely, running a hand through his hair. Mr Avery looks horrified, then he glances at me.

“Nurse’s office, Joshua, now! They should be labelled, hurry-”

I am out the door before he finishes and I weave through the nosy students who heard the commotion quickly. I pump my legs to go as fast as I can, then I round a corner and slam open the door to the nurse’s office. Rummaging through the supply closets, I turn the entire place basically upside down. Still no EpiPen. I see a drawer labelled EPINEPHRINE in big block letters. I yank it open. 

There’s nothing inside.

Mrs Williams, one of the teachers who entered the lab with Mr Avery, comes in, clutching her side. “Joshua, have you found it?” 

I gesture wordlessly, helplessly to the empty drawer. 

“Check the supply closet.” She says, blatantly ignoring the thrown open doors proving my past efforts. Sweat trickles down her brow. “Go back to the lab and tell Mr Avery we haven’t found anything yet.” 

I get to the lab as the paramedics do. Three of them, holding a white stretcher between them. One of them stabs a syringe into his arm 

Mr Avery looks ruffled for the first time in a decade, his posture finally not ramrod straight like always. “We couldn’t find the pens,” I gasped. 

His hands are trembling. “God help that boy,” he whispers. 

Jeonghan’s leaning against a desk for support, skin paper white. I walk up to him and wrap a hand around his shoulders.

Mr Avery follows the paramedics out, leaving the four of us in the room alone.

It’s been barely fifteen minutes since detention started, but it feels like hours.

Junhui clasps his phone so hard his knuckles are going white. 

Jeonghan’s shoulders are shaking, and so is his voice as he asks, “Is he going to be alright?”

Minghao watches the teachers and students trickle in slowly, face stony. 

“I'm going to go out a limb and say no.”


End file.
